Abstract
Most mirror-image stimulation studies (MIS) have been conducted on social and diurnal animals in order to explore self-recognition, social responses, and personality traits. Small, nocturnal mammals are difficult to study in the wild and are under-represented in experimental behavioral studies. In this pilot study, we explored the behavioral reaction of a small nocturnal solitary forager—the grey mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus)—an emergent animal model in captivity. We assessed whether MIS can be used to detect a repeatable behavioral reaction, whether individuals will present a similar reaction toward a conspecific and the mirror, and whether males and females respond similarly. We tested 12 individuals (six males and six females) twice in three different contexts: with a mirror, with a live conspecific, and with a white board as a neutral control. We detected significant repeatability for the activity component of the behavioral reaction. There was a significant effect of the context and the interaction between presentation context and sex for avoidance during the first session for males but not for females. Males avoided the mirror more than they avoided a live conspecific. This pilot study opens a discussion on the behavioral differences between males and females regarding social interactions and reproduction in the nocturnal solitary species, and suggests that males are more sensitive to context of stimulation than females.
Highlights
Mirror-image stimulation (MIS) and mirror tests are used to study multiple questions in the study of animal behavior
We found no significant difference in the composite behaviors PC1 and PC3 of M. murinus when presenting either a mirror, a conspecific, or an opaque wall
While we found a difference between sexes, our results suggest that males distinguished between the mirror and the live conspecific, whereas females did not, with males avoiding the mirror
Summary
Mirror-image stimulation (MIS) and mirror tests are used to study multiple questions in the study of animal behavior. The most common and well-known use is to determine whether animals are capable of self-recognition (Gallup, 1968), i.e., whether they display a selforiented response to a mark made on a body part that is only visible in a mirror (i.e., mark test) Such self-engaged response has been tested in a large range of species over the past decades, including Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), marmots (Marmota flaviventris), chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), corvids (Pica pica), dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), and ants (Formicidae) Besides describing self-recognition (Heyes, 1994), MIS are a relevant tool to investigate whether species behave socially toward the image of a ‘‘conspecific’’ (Becker, Watson & Ward, 1999)
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